Checkerboard Cichlid Behaving Strangely

[johnson.ce2010]

Hi everyone

Can someone help me diagnose my lyretail checkerboard cichlid so I can try to treat him?
His symptoms are as follows:

Curving his tail round - if you look from the top he is kinda 'S' shaped
Drooping his tail, sometimes dragging it on the substrate
Resting occasionally on the bogwood etc
A little wobbly when swimming
His left fin seems a little ragged
Rubbing himself on the bogwood, mainly his left side

He is still eating and chasing the females, but not as much as normal. He has no visible signs of illness on his skin, no patches of any abnormal colour etc. His fins are not clamped and his breathing rate may be a little heavier than normal.
I've researched and thought it may be a parasite so I gave him a salt bath earlier. It hasn't helped immediately.

All the water parameters are fine -- 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 5 nitrate, pH 6.5 and set to 25 degrees.
All my other fish including 2 female checkerboard cichlids are fine. I have noticed the cichlids tend to bully each other quite a bit, perhaps there is a link.

Does anyone have any experience with similar symptoms and, if so, how did they treat it?

Thanks

 

[jacko32]

Hi everyone

Can someone help me diagnose my lyretail checkerboard cichlid so I can try to treat him?
His symptoms are as follows:

Curving his tail round - if you look from the top he is kinda 'S' shaped
Drooping his tail, sometimes dragging it on the substrate
Resting occasionally on the bogwood etc
A little wobbly when swimming
His left fin seems a little ragged
Rubbing himself on the bogwood, mainly his left side

He is still eating and chasing the females, but not as much as normal. He has no visible signs of illness on his skin, no patches of any abnormal colour etc. His fins are not clamped and his breathing rate may be a little heavier than normal.
I've researched and thought it may be a parasite so I gave him a salt bath earlier. It hasn't helped immediately.

All the water parameters are fine -- 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 5 nitrate, pH 6.5 and set to 25 degrees.
All my other fish including 2 female checkerboard cichlids are fine. I have noticed the cichlids tend to bully each other quite a bit, perhaps there is a link.

Does anyone have any experience with similar symptoms and, if so, how did they treat it?

Thanks

temps too low checkerboards require a minimum temp of 27c i keep mine at 29c other than that it sounds quite normal mine sit on the bogwood or sand when there resting and usually curl and flick there tails when 1 of the others come into there territory.

 

[johnson.ce2010]

OK thanks I shall consider upping the temp. Other than that I can assure you the behaviour isn't normal, if you could see for yourself you would agree with me. His behaviour has gradually got worse over the past week.

 

[colleen0309]

Could you possibly post a video of the fish acting abnormal? We'd have a better idea of what's going on.